Shiraz Maher 
Why engaging with the Muslim Brotherhood isn’t quite as simple as it seems
Conventional wisdom has long suggested that we should engage pernicious groups like the Muslim Brotherhood in order to defang them. Just talk to them, it is said, and you’ll discover… Continue reading
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The real significance of Israel’s strikes on Syria
It is hard to overstate the significance of Israel’s surgical strikes against Syrian military positions over the weekend. The raids targeted missiles bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon while also destroying… Continue reading
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What can Obama do about Syria?
Even John Kerry is now confirming what was already long suspected: that Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people. In all likelihood, he has used Sarin nerve… Continue reading
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The glaring failure of the Arab Spring
Two Bishops carrying out relief work in northern Syria appear to have been kidnapped by rebels, underscoring the increasingly sectarian dimension of the conflict. Syria’s minorities have long worried about… Continue reading
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Boston bombing suspects: what we know, and what we don’t
With the manhunt for the alleged perpetrators of the Boston bombings – Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev – now over, a complex and confusing picture is emerging of the two men… Continue reading
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It’s time for universities to address segregation on their campuses
There’s an interesting battle shaping up on university campuses over Islamic societies segregating their events. Today’s Guardian highlights the most recent example of this at the University of Leicester where… Continue reading
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Bassem Youssef’s arrest is just one example of the attack on free speech in Egypt
Bassem Youssef is better known as ‘Egypt’s John Stewart’. He is a 39 year old cardiologist who made his name with an online comedy programme styled along the lines of… Continue reading
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The Saudis oppress their people and expect visitors to look the other way
Prince Charles visited Saudi Arabia this week; one of several high-profile visitors to the kingdom in recent weeks, following separate trips by John Kerry and US Attorney General Eric Holder.… Continue reading
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Two years on, the Syrian revolution in numbers
The original defiance came without malice or forethought. A group of barely pubescent schoolchildren, buoyed by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, bought a can of spray paint. ‘The people… Continue reading
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Assad’s jihad against Syrian rebels, and what it tells us about his regime
Syrian state TV broadcast a remarkable statement last night calling for an ‘Islamic jihad’ against what it termed ‘Zionist saboteurs.’ In doing so, the Baath regime has reneged on one… Continue reading
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The importance of Pakistan’s literary festivals
For a country often conceived of only in terms of its troubles with terrorism, extremists and bombs, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that, in Pakistan, all forms of… Continue reading
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The febrile atmosphere within Saudi Arabia
A Saudi court has sentenced Khaled al-Johani to 18 months in prison for protesting against the regime. His troubles started two years ago when Saudi activists inspired by the revolutions… Continue reading
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The decline of George Galloway
The decay and decline of George Galloway was on full display in Oxford last night when he stormed out of a debate with a third-year PPE student from Brasenose College.… Continue reading
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Calls grow for EU to ban Hezbollah
The White House is piling pressure on the EU to ban Hezbollah after Bulgarian authorities linked it to a bomb blast in Burgas which killed six people last year. The… Continue reading
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The threats to Sadiq Khan remind us of the dangers that many MPs face
Such is the audacity of extreme Islamists that we now have the remarkable situation where a Muslim member of parliament, Sadiq Khan, is being told by the police to review… Continue reading
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A long overdue counterblast to the Left’s thinking on Islamists
A three year open sore within the human rights community will be closed this evening when Gita Sahgal officially launches her new organisation, the Centre for Secular Space, at Toynbee… Continue reading
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Sandy Hook and the Super Bowl
Last night’s Super Bowl advertising gives an interesting insight into the ongoing gun debate following the Newtown shooting in December. Super Bowl adverts have become a phenomenon in their own… Continue reading
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Morsi uses emergency laws he once decried as dictatorial
The emergency law has returned to Egypt less than two years after Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power, when Mohammed Morsi reintroduced it to curb unrest which claimed 33 lives… Continue reading
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Jordan risks unrest with subsidy cuts
Keep an eye on Jordan next week where King Abdullah is set to announce further subsidy cuts to water and electricity to ease the country’s economic crisis. The last time… Continue reading
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Mali could be the gamble that defines Hollande’s presidency
The crisis in Mali is yet another unintended consequence of the Arab Spring. Specifically, they are a result of the revolution in Libya, where Tuareg rebels who supported Gaddafi were forced… Continue reading
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